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Sigma Pi Phi

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Sigma Pi Phi (ΣΠΦ), also known as The Boulé, is an African American professional fraternity. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1904, it is arguably the oldest fraternity for African Americans, between it and Alpha Phi Alpha founded at Cornell University. The fraternity does not have collegiate chapters and is designed for professionals in mid-career or older. Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 139 chapters throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Colombia and Brazil.[1]

Sigma Pi Phi
ΣΠΦ
Founded1904; 120 years ago (1904)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TypeProfessional non-collegiate
AffiliationIdependent
StatusActive
EmphasisAfrican American
ScopeInternational
Colors  Blue
PublicationThe Boulé Journal
Chapters144
Members5,800 lifetime
NicknameBoulé
Headquarters260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1604
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
United States
Websitehttp://www.sigmapiphi.org

History

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Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1904. The fraternity does not have collegiate chapters and is designed to be a professional fraternity for African American men at mid-career or older. When Sigma Pi Phi was founded, black professionals were not offered participation in the professional and cultural associations organized by the white community.[2]

Its founders were:.[3]

  • Robert J. Abele (1875–1929), graduated at the top of his 1895 class at Hahnemann University Medical School (and was its first Black graduate) who earned the highest score ever awarded at that point on the state’s medical certification test, the Pennsylvania State Qualifying Examination for Physicians, in 1897 (where he scored 97.3% out of 100%).[4][5]
  • Eugene T. Hinson - a medical doctor and cofounder of Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia, which opened in 1907.[5]
  • Edwin C .J. T. Howard (October 21, 1846 – May 10, 1912) member of the Harvard Medical School Class of 1869 who practiced medicine in Charleston South Carolina and then Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he founded Frederick Douglass Hospital in 1895 and Mercy Hospital in 1907[5][6]
  • Algernon B. Jackson (1878–1942), prominent African American physician, surgeon, writer, and columnist who contributed profoundly to the National Negro Health Movement, an organization that sought to uplift African Americans by educating them on preventative medicine and public health.[5]
  • Henry McKee Minton, pharmacist and doctor who was superintendent of the Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia[5]

Sigma Pi Phi quickly established chapters (referred to as "member boulés"[A]) in Chicago, Illinois and then Baltimore, Maryland.[9]

Founded as an organization for professionals, Sigma Pi Phi never established collegiate chapters and eliminated undergraduate membership during its infant stages.[10] However, Sigma Pi Phi has historically had a congenial relationship with intercollegiate Black Greek-letter organizations, as many members of Sigma Pi Phi are members of both.

Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 139 chapters throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Colombia and Brazil.[1]

Symbols and traditions

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The organization is known as "the Boulé," which means, in Ancient Greek "the Council".[11]

Membership

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Membership in Sigma Pi Phi is highly exclusive.[12] Sigma Pi Phi is open to members of all races.

Notable members

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Main article: List of Sigma Pi Phi members

Sigma Pi Phi has around 5,000 members.[12]

In media

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Lawrence Otis Graham reports on the organization and his membership in it in the 1999 book Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class.[13]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The word boulé, derived from ancient Greek βουλή, originally referred to a council of nobles advising a king. It is also used by the African-American sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

References

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  1. ^ a b Olechowski, Carol (April 25, 2002). "Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Supports Scholarships for UAlbany Students" (Press release). University at Albany, SUNY.
  2. ^ "UnityFirst.com". May 29, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-05-29. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "University of the Sciences: A Science and Healthcare College | Philadelphia, PA | University of the Sciences". Usip.edu. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  4. ^ "Robert Jones Abele (1875-1929) •". 11 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e Harris, William H. (2012). Brown, Tamara L.; Parks, Gregory S.; Phillips, Clarenda M. (eds.). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision (2nd ed.). 104: University Press of Kentucky. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8131-3662-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  6. ^ https://perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu/node/40 [bare URL]
  7. ^ "Richard John Warrick, Jr. (1880-1957) •". 11 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Sigma Pi Phi | History of the Boulé". www.sigmapiphi.org. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "History". Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity — Beta Lambda. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  10. ^ "Historical Moment#30". Mar 6, 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-03-06. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Beta Lambda Boule". Sep 28, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Historical Moment#19". Archived from the original on 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
  13. ^ Lawrence Otis Graham (January 6, 1999). Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class (First ed.). Harper. ISBN 0060183527.
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